Mammal of Interest
by The Bonecrusher Hyena
Summary: You are being watched. There is a secret system, a Machine, that spies on us every hour of every day. I know, because I helped building it. We designed the machine to detect acts of "savage" activity, but she sees everything. Violent crimes involving ordinary mammals. ZPD wouldn't act so I decided I would. But I needed partners, mammals with the skills to intervene...
1. Prologue

_A/N: Hello everyone! This isn't Talons of Ice, but his partner, Warrior of Spectra. My friend and I are happy to post our first Zootopia fanfic._

 _For those of you who are familiar with the CBS show "Person of Interest", you may find this fic to be similar to the show. Talons of Ice and I have based some of the plot off of Person of Interest. The story itself is an AU that focuses on what might have happened if Bellwether had been in power longer in Zootopia to continue with her immoral plans to divide the Predator and Prey populations much longer than it had in the movies and a look at some possible policies Bellwether may have passed to divide the population of Zootopia._

 _Without further ado: Let us begin._

 _XXX_

 _XXX_

 _XXX_

"Are you there?"

 _ **/Activating User Interface/**_

 _ **/Locating Admin/**_

 _…_

 _ **/Admin General location found./**_

 _ **/Location: Zootopia Police Department 1st Precinct. Foyer/**_

"Good…But remember: You have many eyes…and it's time for you to open them."

 _ **/Accessing ZPD Camera Feeds. Multiple third party recording devices found…accessing…/**_

 _ **/Connected./**_

 _ **/ZPD Security Cameras currently in use: 45. Third Party Cameras in use: 10./**_

 _ **/Beginning visual search for Admin…/**_

"And remember, while you are looking for your primary targets: Be sure to observe others in the premises. You never know what you may find."

 _ **/Beginning Secondary observations…/**_

 _ **/Secondary Mammals of Interest found: Two…Beginning Observations./**_

 _ **/Activating Audio feeds./**_

 _ **XXX**_

The Zootopia Police Department was crowded with mammals of all species and sizes, from puny lemmings to large rhinoceros', who were armed with cameras and microphones. The one's who weren't filming were writing down what the current speaker on the stage was saying. The fourteen missing mammals who started disappearing around two weeks ago, and it was revealed they had locked up in Cliffside Asylum by none other than former mayor Leodore Lionheart. But when they had finally been located and Lionheart's actions were revealed, the mammals seemed to had gone…savage, lashing at everything and everyone within range.

Nobody had yet thought of the most obvious connection, which was that they were all predators.

The speaker in question was Chief Bogo, a large and intimidating cape buffalo who was the chief of ZPD. "Fourteen mammals went missing, and all fourteen have been found by our newest recruit, who will speak to you in a moment. Judy Hopps-" spoke Bogo, while the reports quickly wrote what he said done or adjusted the lights to their cameras.

Two mammals who weren't listening, however, were the ones who solved the case. Judy Hopps, a gray-furred rabbit with violent eyes dressed in a smaller version of the standard ZPD uniform and the newest recruit of ZPD, and the former con-artist Nick Wilde, a green-eyed red fox who wore a light green Hawaiian shirt with a tie around his neck. . The former of the two unlikely due was biting her nails, her violet eyes switching between Bogo and the crowd, dreading the moment she would be called forward.

"Oh, I'm so nerveus…" she muttered. This wasn't the first time Judy had stood or even spoken before a crowd. When she was just a kitten, Judy had taken part in several plays and she hadn't even flinched when Lionheart had announced that she would be stationed in Savanah Central, the Downtown area of Zootopia. But now was the first time she had to give her opinion before a large crowd of animals who would write down everything she said and would most likely show it on television as well. "I'm gonna say something stupid and then I'll be laughed at and then I won't be even able to leave my own apartment without mammals laughing and pointing at me!"

Nick, her red fox companion, rolled his eyes in an amused way. He was casually leaning back against the wall and was the embodiment of being calm and relaxed. Then again, he wasn't the one who would speak against the reports…Still, that didn't stop him from helping the nervous bunny.

"Okay, press conference one on one. If you wanna look smart, then look answer their question with another question and then answer that question! Like this." He said, before taking a stance where he used his right paw as a microphone and imitated the stereotypical voice of a reporter.

"Officer Hopps, what can you tell us about the case?" he asked, before taking another stance in which he tried to imitate Judy. "Well, was it a tough case? Yes, yes it was." He said. After his little act, he grinned at Judy. "See? It's not that hard."

Judy chuckled at her friend and smiled up at the fox. "Thanks, but…Nick, you should be up there with me. We did this together." She said.

Nick chuckled in response. "Well, am I a cop? No, no I am not." He answered with the same charming and slightly arrogant smirk on his face that she had grown used too. And yet…

"It's funny that you mention that, because…Well, I was thinking…" started Judy, while she pulled a yellow paper out of one of her pockets. "It would be nice to have a partner…" she finished, holding the application form out.

Nick blinked in surprise and looked into Judy's eyes with a hint of disbelief while he took the form. Judy smiled and pulled out her carrot pen, the same one she had used to blackmail the fox forty-eight hours, and handed that too to Nick.

"Here. In case you need something to write." She said.

The fox took it gratefully and a smile spread across his face, while he looked warmly at the rabbit in front of him. This offer meant more to him then Judy could even begin to understand. Ever since he could remember, he had been distrusted by animals of every species. And yet here was Judy, a rabbit, offering her natural enemy to be her partner.

But before he could voice his feelings, assistant-mayor Dawn Bellwether interrupted. "Officer Hopps!" she whispered, the sheep looking tiny and frail compared to the larger-than-life Chief Bogo. "It's time!"

Judy glanced at Nick, who nodded with a smile. She returned it and crossed her fingers, before running off to the stage.

"So now I'll, I'll turn things over to the officer who cracked the case. Officer Judy Hopps!" ended Bogo his speech, before making way for ZPD's first rabbit officer. Judy took a deep breath before she took the Chief's place, and was met with a flood of questions.

"Officer Hopps! How did you solve the case?"

Officer Hopps, here!"

"Officer Hopps, I have a question!"

And more things like that. Judy, who suppressed the urge to drop her ears in panic, looked through the crowd and pointed at a beaver reporter. "Uhm, yes sir?" she asked.

"What can you tell us about the animals that went savage?" asked the beaver, holding out his microphone while the rabbit next to him filmed everything.

"The, uhm…The animals in question…" stammered Judy nervously, glancing at Nick for support. The fox gestured at her to continue the conversation, and the rabbit remembered his advice. Calming down, she did exactly what Nick told her to do. "Are they all different species? Yes, yes they are." She answered, while a slideshow of the case was on a screen behind her.

The reporters all immediately wrote her answer down, while Nick gave her a thumbs up.

"Okay, but is the connection?" asked a Thomson's gazelle, and several other animals voiced the same question as well.

"All we know is that they are all members of the predator family." Asked Judy, growing more confident than first.

"So, predators are the only ones who went savage?" asked a sheep reporter.

"Yes, that's corr-Yes, that is accurate." Answered Judy, and several of the animals murmured among one another, until a frantic pig reporter asked another question.

"Why? Why is this happening right now?" he asked loudly.

"We still don't know." Confessed Judy. The pig's reaction was one of dismay as he said something to the coypu next to him, and the animals began to talk among another again, sounding frightened and confused.

Seeing this, Judy felt like she hadn't said enough, and desperately tried to think of something that could offer them an explanation…And then she thought of what Dr. Madge Honey Badger had said back in Cliffside Asylum, about their biology…

"But it may have something to do with their biology!" said Judy quickly, which gained the reporter's attention again and, unknown to her, Nick's as well. "A biological component. You know, their DNA?" asked Judy.

"In their DNA? Can you elaborate on that?" asked the same Thomson's gazelle from earlier, her voice sounding confused but also curious.

"Yes." Answered Judy, not noticing the nervous reactions of the prey animals, and the uncomfortable looks the predators gave one another. "What I mean is, thousands of years ago, predators survived through their aggressive hunting instincts." She explained, while new slides appeared on the screen behind her. "For whatever reason, they are reverting back to their primitive, savage ways."

Nick's eyes widened, both in surprise at what Judy said, and because the words hurt. Did she actually meant what she said? Did she honestly think that predators were just ticking time bombs? He just couldn't believe it…And to make things worse, the new slides only seemed to confirm what she said.

Gone were the regular photos of the victims, and the shots of how ZPD arrested Lionheart and everyone involved in the Asylum Project. Instead, the reporters were shown the actual savage animals. All of them were predators, and slide after slide appeared of aggressive tigers flexing their claws, feral wolves showing their teeth and vicious-looking bears struggling against their chains. Yet they all had one thing in common: they were all muzzled, like wild beasts…

Seeing this triggered some memories for Nick and the fox dropped his ears while he started to breathe heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. It all came back…The dark basement…The insults of the other children…How no one would ever trust a fox…How they laughed at him and humiliated him…How they forced to muzzle onto his face…

And then, Nick remembered his promise of never showing anyone would ever get to him, and closed his jaws with a frown on his face.

"Officer Hopps! Could something like this happen again?" asked the same beaver from before, and Judy nodded.

"Yes, it is possible. So we must be vigilant." She admitted, causing the animals to whisper among each other in slight panic. "And we at the ZPD are here and prepared to protect you." She concluded her speech.

Yet the reporters thought differently, flooding the rabbit once again with questions. About when something like this could happen again, what the police would do if it happened, if the savage animals would ever return to normal and even if the predator population of Zootopia had to be quarantined.

At that moment, Bellwether decided to interfere and joined Judy on stage. "I'm sorry, but that's all the time we have! No more questions." She said, while guiding her fellow prey animal off stage, leaving behind a displeased crowd.

"Did I okay?" asked Judy, noticing the mixed reactions, but was assured by a wide smile of Bellwether.

"Oh, you just did fine!" she answered, allowing Judy to run back to Nick.

"Oh, that went so fast!" she sighed in relief. "I mean, I didn't get the chance to say anything about you, or how-"

"Oh, I think you said plenty." Interrupted Nick her coldly.

Judy frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Clearly there is a biological component? These predators may be reverting back to their primitive, savage ways?" answered the fox, quoting her speech from earlier. "Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.

"I just stated the facts in the case!" argued Judy. "I mean, it's not like a bunny could go savage." She added.

"Right, but a fox could, huh?" asked Nick, narrowing his green eyes.

Judy frowned in response. "Nick, stop it. You're not like them!"

"Oh, so there's a 'them' now!" growled the fox back.

Judy sighed in frustration. "You know what I mean, you're not that kind of predator!" she protested, wanting Nick to understand she didn't mean to insult him. Frankly, she wasn't even sure why he was insulted. After all, hadn't she just told the fox he was an exception among the predators?

But apparently, Nick saw things in a different way and the comment only made him angrier.

"The kind that needs to be muzzled?" he asked, gesturing to the slideshow, even though it had ended. "The kind that makes you feel like you should carry around fox repeller!?"

Judy looked startled at the item around her belt, suddenly feeling very guilty.

"Yeah, don't think I didn't notice that little item when we first met!" snapped Nick.

Judy looked up sadly at him, trying to think of a way to explain to Nick that he had it all wrong, that she didn't think foxes and predators in general were monsters. But the fox didn't give her the chance.

"So, let me ask you a question: Are you afraid of me?" demanded Nick. Judy didn't answer and instead stared at her friend with a hurt expression on her face.

"Do you think I might go nuts?" asked Nick again, when Judy didn't answer. When she once again kept quiet, he raised his paws in a threatening manner. "Think I might go savage?" he asked.

When the rabbit once again didn't answer, he narrowed his green eyes angrily and took a step forward. "Do you think I might try to…eat you!?" he demanded.

Judy gasped startled and took a step backwards, one hand raised in front of Nick while the other went to her bottle of fox repeller. It was an instinctual reaction, but it hurt Nick more than Judy could even imagine.

"I knew it..." Said Nick softly to himself. Judy was afraid of him, she had been all this time. He wasn't just hurt and angry at her, but also at himself for being so stupid. To think he could actually be something else then just a typical fox, a con-artist…He guessed it was his punishment for ever thinking such stupid things.

"And just when I thought someone finally believed at me, huh?" he asked, but didn't expect an answer. Judy lowered her ears in distress and she shot him a guilty look, while trying to form the right words to apologize.

But Nick would have none of that. He took the application form out of his pocket and handed it back to Judy. "Probably for the best if you don't have a predator as a partner." He growled, before marching off to the exit of the ZPD.

Judy looked down at the form and saw that Nick had filled in everything. He really wanted to be her partner…And then, Judy realized with a shock what she had done. The rabbit looked up and saw Nick rip of the Junior ZPD sticker Finnick had given him when she had blackmailed the fox.

"No! Nick, wait!" she called, attempting to run after her. But the reporters, who had watched the scene, blocked the entrance and surrounded her, shoving their microphones and cameras in her face.

"Officer Hopps, did that predator just threaten you?" asked the beaver, while Judy tried to find a way through the crowd.

"No, he's my friend!" answered Judy, hoping they would let her go. But the reactions were different from the one's she hoped.

"We can't even trust our own friends?" asked a rabbit fearfully.

"No! That's-That is not what I said!" protested Judy in horror, while the questions kept coming.

"Are we safe!?"

"Have any foxes gone savage?"

"Do we have to look out for predators?!"

One thing Judy knew for sure was that she could never catch up with Nick anymore. She had betrayed and hurt her best friend, fox or not. And only pure will power made sure she didn't sank to her knees and cry…

XXX

 _ **/Ending Secondary Observations./**_

 _ **/Information on Subjects./**_

 _ **/Subject 1: Judy Hopps.**_

 _ **Age: 24.**_

 _ **Gender: Female**_

 _ **Species: Rabbit**_

 _ **Place of Birth: Zootopia, Bunnyburrows.**_

 _ **Occupation: ZPD Officer./**_

 _ **/Subject 2: Nicolas 'Nick' Wilde.**_

 _ **Age: 32.**_

 _ **Gender: Male.**_

 _ **Species: Red Fox.**_

 _ **Place of Birth: Zootopia, Savannah Central**_

 _ **Occupation: Con-artist./**_

 _ **Preliminary analysis: Potential Assets.**_

 _ **Course of Action: Observe./**_

"Can you see me?"

 **/Primary Operation: Searching for Admin...Admin Located./**

 **XXX**

The group of reporters crowded around the bunny, who was now visually in a state of shock. All of the reporters sent a barrage of questions at the first runny police officer, who made no attempt to answer the questions directed to her. The only thoughts in her head were what Nick had told her…and the mistake she had made.

Chief Bogo instantly came to the bunny officer's aid by having his officers tell the reporters that there would be no questions. Mayor Bellwether helped Judy walk away from the crowd, taking her over to a chair and getting her friend a cup of water.

As the reporters went over their notes with their respective coworkers: a single African leopard was in the very center of the crowd. She was wearing a formal grey dress and a pair of glasses, the fifty nine year old predator's attention was solely on her Carrot iPhone, waiting for a text message. Waiting patiently for a response from her 'associate.'

"Can you see me?" The leopard asked into her phone.

A few seconds passed…until her phone buzzed three times.

"Are you sure?" She asked with a smirk. Her phone buzzed three more times.

Looking at her surroundings, the Leopard checked area…none of the cameras were pointed in her direction (courtesy to tampering with them hours before). So how could it…unless…

Curiously, the leopard looked behind her, seeing a pig reporter typing into his laptop…it had a camera on the monitor. The leopard smirked.

"Very clever…very clever indeed." She admitted. Going to her phone's settings: she turned on her iPhone's camera.

 _ **/Accessing Admin's Recording Device/**_

 _ **/Camera: On./**_

 _ **/Admin in view of Camera./**_

"Very good…You learn quickly." The leopard said into her phone. "Did you find anything of Interest?"

 _ **/Sending information to Admin./**_

Instantly the woman received an email from a individual titled "TM". Opening the email: she saw two mammals that caught her unseen associate's interest.

She instantly recognized both.

Judy Hopps, the rabbit ZPD officer she had just seen on the stage, and the fox she was talking to…a fox named Nick Wilde.

"Good eye…" She said. "But remember: You are supposed to watch everyone. But it's good to see you are observant…" The leopard smiled. "That concludes our test for today." With that: the woman turned off her camera as she tacked her phone into her pocket. Walking through the crowd: the woman left the ZPD building.

But little did she know: her unseen associate was still watching the ZPD interior.

XXX

 **/Beginning Observations./**

 **/Opening Files: Judy Hopps and Nicolas Wilde./**

 **/Continue observing for unspecified amount of time./**

 **/New Mammal of Interest located./**

 **/Name: Dawn Bellwether.**

 **Age: 38.**

 **Gender: Female.**

 **Species:** **Sheep**

 **Former Occupation: Assistant Mayor**

 **Current Occupation: Mayor (De Facto.)/**

 **/Observing Outgoing call…/**

 **/WARNING: Call Encrypted. Begin Decryption Protocols./**

 **/Unable to Decrypt…/**

 **/Course of Action: Observe. (Listing Mammal of Interest as Possible Threat to System and Users.)/**

 **Signing Out.**

 **/**


	2. The Pilot: Part 1

_**/Activating User Interface/**_

 _ **/Audio and Visual Surveillance sweep./**_

 _ **/Zootopia News Network Feeds Active./**_

"More bad news in a city gripped by fear. A caribou is in critical condition, the victim of a mauling by a savage Polar bear. This, the twenty-seventh such attack comes just one week after ZPD Officer, Judy Hopps, connected the violence to traditionaly predatory animals."

"Meanwhile: a peace rally, organized by pop star Gazelle, was marred by protests."

XXX

"Zootopia is a unique place. It's a crazy, beautiful, diverse city, where we celebrate our differences. This is not the Zootopia I know…The Zootopia I know is better than this. We don't just blindly assume blame! We don't know why these attacks keep happening. But it is irresponsible to label all predators as savages. We cannot let fear divide us! Please! Give me back the Zootopia I love…"

XXX

"The Employees of KT Industries mourn the deaths of their founding CEOs, Shila Kurpany and Cassandra Tyler, today after both childhood friends were killed by Jackson Kurpany, a dingo who went savage last evening. Miss Kurpany's body was found in her and her fiancée's apartment. Miss Tyler's body was not found, but it only the worst can be assumed.

"Shila and Jackson Kurpany were a happy inter-species couple. Miss Kurpany was a Kangaroo while her fiancée was a dingo. It is known the two were happily in love with one another.

"Following the deaths of Miss Kurpany and Miss Tyler: A Bill is in the works of becoming a law that would make inter-species marriages illegal. According to Mayor Bellwether: The bill is designed to protect both predator and prey citizens of Zootopia. The bill itself has been faced with strong opposition, particularly from employees of KT Industries, both Prey and Predator workers call the proposed law an 'Insult to one of (their) CEOs and are calling on the Mayor to drop the bill.'"

XXX

"ZPD officer Judy Hopps has officially resigned from the Zootopia Police Department today. The former rabbit officer has returned to her home in the Bunnyburrows."

XXX

 _ **/Analysis complete: Returning to Present observations…/**_

 _ **2015- - - - Present: March 2016.**_

 _ **/Begin search for Asset Nicholas "Nick" Wilde…/**_

 _ **/Possible lead found./**_

"Hey, found the fox yet? The boss is chomping at the bit…can't blame her though."

"Yeah, we got 'em!"

"Really?! That's great! Boss'll be happy! 'bout time that lying scum bag gets his…where'd you find the fox?"

"Tried getting on a bus to Tundratown."

"Now I know he's desperate! When will you be here?"

"Thirty minutes…call the entire gang. Time for 'em to be put on trial."

 _ **/Inaudible shouting in the back ground…clarifying/**_

"I'M SORRY! SERIOUSLY! I JUST NEED MORE TIME!"

 _ **/Voice Match confirmed:**_ **Nicholas P. Wilde located.** _ **/**_

 **XXX**

The Historic District was located in downtown Savanah Central. Back when Zootopia was flourishing into the vibrant city is was today, the Historic District was Zootopia itself, albeit smaller. Today: the District was still standing in honor of the past. Tourists during the day came to the District to admire the history of the original city, students went to the landmarks to make notes for projects they were doing.

But at night: the gang's and criminal organizations ran the District as their main hub of operations. While larger, more powerful, organizations preferred the middle of Sahara Central, the smaller gangs stuck to the Historic district, where police presence was more lax.

However, unlike most of the large gangs, The Honey Clan was notorious for running the Historic District and owning various small gangs. While The Honey Clan was not as powerful as the organization ran by the notorious Mr. Big, The Honey Clan was still big enough to be listed on ZPD's watch list.

Especially with the history of the gang's leader.

Tonight was a very SPECIAL night for The Honey Clan. Their "Enemy Number One" had finally been caught after a week of eluding them. The individual in question, a red fox, had crossed The Honey Clan leader twice to many times...Historically: when someone messed with the leader of The Honey Clan, that individual was the personal enemy of _every_ member of The Clan.

May the Creator rest your soul if you crossed their leader.

It was only fitting that the fox was being taken to the Old Court House in the Historic District. Where he would be put on trial in front of the entire Clan.

By midnight; almost all of the Honey Clan were present in the court house, filing in the seats, waiting for the "defendant" to arrive. When every member of the gang was present: that's when the entry doors swung open.

Nick had never been so scared for his life since his and Judy's encounter with Mr. Manchas that night in the Rain Forest district when he suddenly went savage and nearly killed him and the rabbit.

But now here he was: hands bound behind his back with a black hood covered his head. He could hear the entire gang, most of which predators originating from Africa and South-East Asia with quite a number of wolverines, badgers and Tasmian devils as well, shout for his death while was 'escorted' by two large spotted hyenas into the room.

Eventually his 'escorts' pushed him into a chair, and removed the black hood. Instantly the bright lights in front of him briefly blinded him before his pupils refocused.

He was in a court room…oh sweet mother…he was in a COURT room…

Suddenly: all of the howlering for blood instantly changed for cheers and a chanting.

"GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!" All of the gang members chanted.

Nick felt a shiver of terror run down his spine as he slowly turned his head back to see all of the gang members cheering as two tigers walked down the isle…with a single female honey badger walking down the aisle. She had a rather casual appearance, wearing green shorts and a black tank top. She had a couple of golden earrings in her left ear and a red with white bracelet on her right paw.

But Nick knew the honey badger was anything but 'casual, and he swallowed nervously.

Honey "Gold" was not as feared as Mr. Big. But being a honey badger…she was easily one of the feared crime lords in Zootopia.

Her temper was red hot like any honey badger. She was notorious for putting many rival gang members and leaders in the hospital (and in some cases an early grave) while she fought alongside her gang. It was no secret The Honey Clan loved their leader, because they knew she was willing to sacrifice her life for theirs.

Unfortunately for Nick: he crossed Gold, now the entire Clan wanted him dead.

As the female honey badger's pale green eyes made contact with Nick's, she flashed a toothy grin as she sat at the Judge's seat at the head of the court room.

Holding up her paw, she instantly silenced her chanting gang, everyone took their seat, and waited for their beloved leader to speak.

Gold turned her attention to Nick, who remained sitting in fear, sweating under his fur.

"Niiiiicccccckkkkkk…" Gold said kindly as she leaned forward. "How nice to see you tonight…" She pointed at Nick's purple tie. "New tie?"

Nick opened his mouth nervously, unsure of how to answer a simple question that seemed like a compliment…but he knew Gold was unpredictable…turning a situation from calm, to fury, back to calm and then back to fury again before threatening to skin someone alive.

"W…we…well…You see…I always wear the tie…Some people say it doesn't match my shirt," Gesturing to his green Hawaiian shirt. "But I personally…"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR SHIRT!" Gold shouted, stabbing a serrated combat knife into the table in front of her, instantly silencing the red fox, there was laughter in the back of the room. The honey badger slowly calmed, sitting back down. A smile tugged on her lips as she leaned forward as if nothing happened.

"Do you know why you're here, Wilde?" Gold asked kindly, though Nick knew better than to think she was actually happy.

"I…uhh…the money?"

"Yes!" Gold responded, looking at her gang. "Did you hear that everyone? Nick remembers!"

There was nods of agreement and glares shot at the red fox…Nick did not like where this was going.

"So…Where is it?" Gold asked. "Where is my money?"

"Well…you see…funny story…" Nick began nervously.

"I DON'T WANT A STORY!" Gold yelled, shutting Nick up. "WHERE IS MY MONEY!?"

"Please, Chief Gold…" Nick pleaded. "I just need time! That's all I ask!"

"Three months!" Gold growled dangerously. "Three months! THAT IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME I GAVE YOU TO REPLACE MY PRODUCTS! THREE! For ONE MILLION DOLLARS! And how much have you given me back?"

"Well…"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

Nick hesitated…before answering in barely a whisper. "Zero…"

"I'm sorry?"

"Zero…"

"I DIDN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Zero!" Nick said loudly.

Every gang member in the court room muttered at each other.

"But hey," Gold said in her calm voice, leaning in her chair. "Can't blame you though…" Stands up on the table for everyone to see her. "Our generous Mayor is making laws to 'protect' our beloved city…so of course it's VERY difficult for someone like you, Nick, to make money in the amount of time I gave you." Gold placed her paw over her chest, closing her eyes to emphasis how sincere she was. "It's my fault…I gave you such a short amount of time to make money that is hard to make in this economy…"

Gold opened her eyes again, glaring darkly at Nick.

"But…you paying me back is not the major issue I have with you, Nicky-boy…" Gold pulled her knife from the table. "You remember my sister? Clare?" The Honey Badger began pacing on the desk, back and forth. "Clare isn't a honey badger like Moi…She's a fox…not a red fox, but a corsac fox…her family adopted me when I was very young…Unlike me: She is a VERY patient and kind woman…" Everyone watches as the Honey Clan leader visibly recalls the past. But suddenly: her eyes darkened even more. "I understand that you dated Clare, no?"

Nick, realizing what this was about…reluctantly nodded his head.

"You see: I got a call a week ago…that someone broke my dear, sweet sister's heart…and that someone was a red fox…I didn't want to believe it when she told me said red fox's name…" Gold's glare intensified at Nick…who at this point wished he could turn invisible. "Name of said fox? NICK WILDE!"

Instantly: all of the Clan started yelling at Nick, using profanity and angry insults at the red fox, who slumped in his chair in fear.

"SKIN THE FOX!"

"NO! BOIL HIM!"

"SHOOT HIM!"

"LET'S SKIN 'EM! BOIL 'EM! THEN SHOOT 'EM!"

"YEEEEAAAAHHHH!"

 _ **"THAT IS ENOUGH!"**_ Gold hollered above all of her shouting followers. Instantly: all of the members of The Honey Clan shut their mouths. Gold sat down behind her desk, looking at her followers. "We maybe predators: But we are not savages! We will not kill Wilde…until his judgement has been made…"

There were mutters from the crowd, but all agreed with their leader's wishes.

Nick's heart eased slightly…though he knew his fate was still uncertain…he didn't know what Gold had planned. But at least he was still alive…for the moment.

"So…" Gold began, gesturing to a door opening at the side of the room, showing two jackals walking out, wheeling in…a board with a spinner on it…like one of those board games.

Gold smirked at Nick as she yelled. "WE LEAVE HIS LIFE UP TO FATE!"

Everyone, except Nick, cheered when they saw the jackals revealing the contents on the board. There was a circle in the middle of the spinner, about seventy five percent of the board had the writing "Death" on it, while a measly twenty five percent of the board said "Life."

Dear lord…they were going to play his life away!

"Here's how the game goes, Nick." Gold began, smugly. "We spin the arrow! If it lands on Life three times, you can go free! But if it lands on death even ONCE…WE KILL YOU!"

All of the gang members cheer, loving the idea.

 _'Don't let them get to you…don't let them get to you…'_ Nick's mantra rang in his mind…repeating the oath he took ever since that fateful day.

Noise in the room no longer registered as one of the jackals walked up to the arrow and prepared to spin it…

The sound of the entry doors slammed open, everyone in the room, even Gold, stopped instantly, turning to see the new arrivals. In came two cougars in black suits walking into the court room, one of which carried two brief cases.

"Excuse the interruption, ma'am." One of the cougars, the one with the brief cases, said politely in a Irish accent. "But we have something that belongs to you."

"Who…the heck…are you?" Gold growled suspiciously, annoyed at the interruption. But she held up her paws to calm her gang, some of which were about ready to tackle the uninvited guests.

"Our employer wishes to make a deal." The other cougar, a female one who had a pistol, with lethal ammo, in a holster strapped to her side. "She understands there is quite a predicament you are in regarding Mr. Nicholas Wilde."

Nick glanced at the two cougars, who carried themselves professionally…he honestly had no idea who they were. Were they employees of someone he owed a debt to? Honestly he could not remember. There were so many people he had crossed. Mr. Big being…well…the biggest one. Though Gold was the scariest.

Gold calmed down, showing interest.

"Very well, who is your employer?" She asked.

"Not important." The male cougar with the brief cases said. "But what's inside these cases are." The Cougar walked forward to Gold's desk, placing the cases on the desk in front of her.

Gold opened both cases…her eyes widened at what she saw.

Inside each case was One million dollars…That was Two million dollars in total! Gold looked up at the Cougars.

"What do you want with Wilde?" She asked.

"None of your concern, Ma'am." The female Cougar asked. "All we ask: is that you let us take him and you leave him be."

Gold glared at both cougars.

"This is more than enough money to pay off his monetary debt to me…But what he did to my sister! My dear sister who he betrayed and is now heartbroken! I will not let him go unpunished unless me sister…"

"Call her." The male Cougar said. "Trust me. You will want to call her."

Gold glared at the cougars, but complied, taking out her iPhone. There was a tense few moments in the court room…the only sound that could be heard was Gold talking with her sister…but there was something in her tone that made her seem…sincerely happy…

Three minutes passed: and Gold hung up her phone.

"Good news Nicky…you are off the hook…Luckily my sister found a better man than you! Get him out of here." Gold announced. Nick was visibly relieved, for the first time in hours he took a full breath of relief as he slumped in his chair, relieved he was not going to die!

The two cougars then proceeded to escort the red fox from the court building, leading him out onto the streets, where a car was waiting for them.

Though grateful for the aid, Nick realized he did not feel comfortable going with these two to…wherever they were going. All he knew was that wherever they went, he was going as far away in the opposite direction.

"Well thank your boss for me," Nick said casually with a grin as he calmly backed away from the cougars. "But I have something important to…" Nick stopped when he felt himself back into someone…big…Nick looked up to see a rhino, wearing a similar suit as the cougars, staring down at him. "Heh heh…or I could just pay you guys to let me go, waddaya say? Huh?" Nick suggested, he didn't have money on him but perhaps he could persuade them to let him walk away…

The Rhino quickly grabbed Nick by the collar of his shirt.

…That's a no.

One of the cougars opened the door to the car, and the rhino tossed the fox inside effortlessly and slammed the door, which instantly locked.

"HEY! LET ME OUT!" Nick yelled.

The two cougars closed a window between them and their "passenger" in the middle of the car, which now sped off into the early morning.

While his partner drove, the male cougar pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number.

"Hey boss? We got Wilde…should be at the park in a few minutes."

XXX

 _ **/Asset Nicholas "Nick" Wilde Status: Safe/**_

 _ **/Begin Search for Asset: Judy Hopps…/**_

 _ **/UPDATE: Asset no longer in Sahara Central as of May 2015…expand search. Accessing "Bunnyburrows" Security Feeds/**_

 _…_

 _ **/UPDATE: Asset found./**_

 _XXX_

" _Panic broke out yesterday night in Sahara Square, when a savage hyena started attacking the patrons of a night club. The hyena, who has been identified as Halina Itanya, was captyred by ZPD before she could kill anyone, though a wildebeest employee is now in critical condition when the savage predator took a hold of his leg. We-"_

Judy turned the TV off with a thoughtfull frown, before on her copy of the ZNN newspaper that lay on her desk. The page she was currently reading displayed a picture of a female hyena, who seemed to be in her early-twenties, running around on all four's in a night club, scattering its patrons across the room.

The rabbit grabbed a pair of scissors and carefully cut the article out that told the same story she had just heard on the news. Once she was done, she clipped the piece of paper and pinned it down on a wall…Right next to the other's.

Judy's wall was covered in various photo's, maps, articles and more, all related to the Savage Outbreak. Predators that had gone savage, their victims, the location where it all happened…Everything that Judy had gotten her paws on that seemed of interest, she collected. But there was one thing she didn't understand yet…

"What is the connection?" muttered Judy under her breath, while underlining various parts of the article that described the newest attack. "They're all predators…But what else?" she asked out loud. The predators that went savage had no connection to one another. They of every species, ethnicity, social class and more. The only thing they had in common was that they were all part of the predator family.

 _What if predators_ _ **are**_ _naturally aggressive?_ Wondered Judy for a moment. But then she remembered what had happened more than half and a year ago and felt ashamed. No. She refused to believe the solution was that simple. There had to be another cause…But what?

A knock was heard on her door, and Judy looked up. "Yes?" asked the rabbit.

"Jude? Jude the Dude?" asked a voice, and Judy regondised it to be her father, Stu Hopps. "We're about to go to the fair. Do you want to come along as well?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"No thanks, Dad." Replied Judy absent-minded, while reading one of the clipped articles, about a lion going savage during an opera. "I'm kind of busy."

She could hear her Dad sigh behind the doors, and although he didn't say anything, she knew what was he was thinking. A few weeks after she had returned home, now more than a year and a half ago, she had once again started working on the Savage case. She would study every case of the Savage Outbreak, and tried to find a pattern.

So far, no luck.

Judy knew her parents thought she was obsessed, and in all honesty, she realized she was. But she never told her parents that it wasn't just her concern for the citizens of Zootopia, her sense of duty to ZPD or even her overwhelming guilt for ruining the lives of so many innocent predators. No, it was a bit more…personal then that…

"Alright then." Sighed Stu, knowing that he couldn't convince his daughter to change her mind. He and his wife had tried many times, but it all resulted in the same outcome. "But if you change your mind…You know where to find us, right?" he asked.

"Yes Dad, I know." Answered Judy with an annoyed sigh. But as her father muttered an almost apologetic goodbye before leaving, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Her parents just wanted to help, after all. They always made sure to spend time with her and her 275 siblings, even though they were usually busy on the farm.

But she quickly shook those thoughts of and concentrated on her work. And as had become routine, Judy spend the entire day working on her 'little' project…Until the bell rang. Judy looked up from her work and frowned. Were her parents already back? They were barely gone for an hour!

With a sigh, she left her room and walked through the warren that the Hopps family called their home. It took her five whole minutes to reach the front door though, the downside of having a large house meant for a family of 278.

"Yes, how can I-" started Judy as she opened the door, expecting to see someone from her family or one of their friends or business partners, like Gideon Grey. But she was surprised to see two large wild boars instead. Their muscles were obvious under their thin, dark-brown fur and they had mean black eyes. The fact that both of them had a pair of rather sharp-looking tusks as well didn't help a lot…The business suits they wore didn't suit them in the least, or so Judy thought.

"Uhm…Can I help you?' asked Judy, blinking in surprise.

"Judy Hopps?" asked one of the boars, his voice low and slightly hoarse.

Judy frowned, immediately on alert. "Who wants to know?" she asked.

"Our boss does." Answered the boar. "And she wants to meet you. Right now." He said.

"And why should I trust you?" demanded the rabbit, putting her hand on her hip.

The two boars looked at one another, and then sighed and shook their heads. "Well, we tried it the nice way…" said one of them, before the other acted swiftly by grabbing Judy.

"Hey! Whatte-Lemme go!" shouted the rabbit, struggeling in the larger animal's grip, but to no avail. The boars quickly carried her to a large black door, where one of them opened the passenger seat and the other quickly, but gently, placed Judy in the passenger's seat.

"Let me out! Who are yo-" started Judy, but the door was closed and the window between them and their unwilling passenger closed before she could escape, muffling her protests. One of the boars grabbed his cellphone and dialed a number.

"Hey, boss…Yeah, it's me…Yup, we got here…Should be in the park in about an hour or so…Yeah, okay. Understood. We'll see you there."

And with that, the two mysterious boars got into the car and they drove off towards…Well, Judy wasn't sure of that herself.

XXX

 ** _/All Assets secured and enroot to destination./_**

 ** _/Tracking Asset 1's location via Traffic Cameras./_**

 _XXX_

Judy had given up her struggles in the backseat of the car, and resigned to looking out her window, watching as she left her district, the Bunnyburrows, and drove through various districts of Zootopia, including the Raintforest district and Tundratown, eventually reaching the limits of Savannah Central.

A year it had been since she last set foot in the center of Zootopia. Though it was not as a magical moment as the first time, and aside from being kidnapped by boars in suits, but a smile somehow made its way on Judy's lips. Though Bunnyburrows was her home…returning to this part of the city felt like a homecoming to her.

She just wished she wasn't being kidnapped.

While her captors drove through the streets of the district: Judy could not help but notice that, on the other side of the window, there was not that since of freedom Judy felt when she first arrived. Now…there was an air of fear. Before Judy noticed that prey and predators were intermingled in crowds. Prey were friends with predators as they went about their normal routines.

But now? There were now just solely groups of prey who watched predators with disdain or fear.

Her ears dropped in guilt.

Now she remembered why she left…she remembered what **she** had done.

A few more minutes flew by. Eventually: the black car was stopped at a park build around a watering hole, the same source of water where Zootopia had been started thousands of years ago. When the driver shut off the ignition: both boars stepped out of the car, and opened the door for Judy to step out.

Instead of following her nerves, Judy stepped out of the car and followed her captors to where they were taking them. Clearly they were not going to hurt her in a public area with so many prying eyes…but what purpose did they have for bringing her here?

The answer came shortly when both of the Boars led her to a table in the park. Where a female black panther sat at a table with a chess board in front of her, alone, wearing a semi-formal business suit with black slacks and a jacket. She appeared to be sixty and wore glasses over her green eyes and was drinking a glass of iced tea.

Judy stopped in front of a chair, looking up at the panther, who looked over at her.

"Judy Hopps I presume?" The black panther asked in a polite voice as she held up her glass and took a sip from the straw.

"How do you know who I am?" The bunny demanded, staring at the black panther with an angry glare. "First I'm dragged out of my house by these two," Gesturing to the two guards behind her. "Then I'm brought all the way to Savanah Central…so I will ask again…What the heck is going on?!"

After taking another sip from her glass, the woman answered. "I will answer your questions as soon as our next associate arrives…" She paused, a car pulling up with two cougars stepping out, dragging a certain red fox out of the backseat. "Speaking of which."

"LET ME GO! I DID NOTHING WRONG I SWEAR! Okay whoever conned your boss, I swear, it was NOT me! It was my partner! I swear!" Judy heard a familiar voice yelling.

Her eyes widened as she turned her head to see two cougars dragging a red fox over to them…he wore a green Hawaiian shirt and a purple tie that did not match…she almost couldn't believe her eyes!

"Nick?!" Judy gasped loudly.

Nick's struggles ceased when he heard that familiar voice. The red fox looked over at the bunny…the bunny that used to be his friend…and the same bunny who made him believe that somebody actually saw him for who he truly was, but instead saw him nothing more than a thieving conman.

The two former friends stared at each other for a long moment. Judy did not know what to say, she tried to open her mouth to speak but the words did not come. Nick could not speak, not because he didn't know what to say, but because he refused to say anything.

When neither individual spoke, the mysterious black panther finally spoke.

"Rest assured, Mr. Wilde, you are not in trouble with me." She said calmly, before gesturing to two chairs on the opposite side of the table. "But I would appreciate if you and Miss. Hopps at least listened to what I have to say."

Nick looked over at Judy with angry green eyes. "What's she doing here?!" He snapped bitterly, causing Judy to wince and saddening her even further. "Is this your doing?!" Nick added, speaking to Judy.

"No!" Judy answered quickly. "I am just as confused as you are, Nick…" The former ZPD officer looked back at the panther. "What's going on? Who are you?!" Though seemingly defiant, she sat down on one of the chairs opposite the panther, which Nick followed her example and sat.

"Who I am is not important. But what I have to offer you is" The woman answered patiently as she reached for something in a briefcase resting on the ground beside her. She pulled out a folder. Eventually placing a newspaper clipping on the table. Both bunny and fox looked at the newspaper, and saw a picture of themselves back in the ZPD precinct that fateful day.

"A year ago: from what I understand, a fox and a rabbit were investigating a rather...interesting case. Fourteen predators went missing, eventually said individuals found these Predators only to discover that they had turned 'savage.' Now there are similar cases of 'savageness' popping up all across Zootopia.

"The official story says that what is happening is because predators, like you and I, Mr. Wilde, can de-evolve to our 'old savage ways' at any moment." The panther paused. Judy's head dipped down in guilt, while Nick simply looked away. But the panther's tone suddenly changed. "But I do not believe this…and neither do you, Miss. Hopps."

"I-I'm not sure what caused the outbreak, actually." Judy answered, looking back up at the female black panther.

She didn't know why…but for the first time in a long while: she felt like she was talking with someone she could trust in regard of her theories. Back at home she did not voice her doubts about the outbreak. For a year she tried to push away thoughts of the case and go far away from the troubles of the big city.

But it was a futile effort. She collected newspaper clippings and recordings of the Savage attacks throughout the year. No matter how far she ran: she felt something inside of her pulling her to come back to Zootopia. To discover the truth.

Nick, however, did not buy what he was hearing from the bunny.

"Really? I thought you said it was 'in our nature to return to our savage and primitive ways!'" Nick sneered again, making Judy's ears drop down.

"That's enough!" The panther snapped in a low, yet calm, voice. Causing both Nick and Judy look back at the woman surprised. She glared at both of them disgustedly, but calmed her composure. "What if I told you that I could tell you someone was about to become a part of a very bad situation. A very terrible crime. Not a random, spur of the moment murder…but a premeditated and well thought out crime or terrorist act." She paused, noticing both mammals now gave her their undivided attention, even Nick, who did not seem interested but still listened.

She continued. "Would you be willing to do something with your lives? To change a city that has been in decline for a year and is only getting worse because of each savage attack?"

"How could you do that?" Nick asked, raising a skeptical furry eyebrow.

For the first time: the female panther smirked.

"I have my methods." She answered calmly. That's when she looked over in a different direction, both Nick and Judy looked in the same direction as she did. They saw a lynx looking at a water fountain, staring at his reflection in the water below him.

"His name is Trevor Pierce. Age thirty two. Formerly a lawyer, until recently. In recent days he has withdrawn all of his money from his savings account. I don't know what, but I know he is going to be a part of a very bad situation. He could be the victim, or he could very well be the perpetrator.

"All I know: is that something bad is going to happen to him. And I need you two to follow him." The panther stopped, reaching into her coat pocket and pulls out two business cards. "If you accept my proposal: Follow him. Then, at midnight, meet me at the address printed on the cards at ten o'clock this evening. If you do not accept, I would appreciate if you still met with me tonight."

Before Judy or Nick could ask: the panther stood up, and walked away from the table with all four of her guards flanking her.

But as she walked away, both Judy and Nick noticed one detail about how she walked…there was a limp in her left leg.

When the woman was guided to the car Judy was brought in, one of the boars opened the door for their employer and drove her away, followed by the car driven by the cougars. When the cars were out of sight, Nick and Judy both looked at the business cards given to them.

Printed on the cards was an address, but also a name: Kora Ebony.

The two former friends were silent for a long moment. Neither of them looked at each other. Until Judy opened her mouth to speak to her old friend, who spoke before she did.

"Save it, bunny." Nick muttered coldly as he stood up and walked away.

When Judy was all alone…all she could do was look at the card given to her by this…"Kora Ebony."

After thinking for a five minutes: Judy finally made her decision.

Trevor finally took a deep sigh as he walked away from the fountain and made his way out of the park.

Unknown to the lynx, however, he was being followed from a distance by a bunny whose determination that had previously died down to small embers…had now begun to grow back into a powerful forest fire.

 **XXX**

 ** _/Potential Asset, Judy Hopps, tracking Mammal of Interest./_**

 ** _/Begin observation of Potential Asset Nicholas "Nick" Wilde./_**

XXX

He knew she was a dumb bunny, just like what he called her when they first met the year before. Only a dumb bunny would believe in some crazy woman like that panther. NO WAY could she know that lynx was in danger.

For all Nick knew was that the lynx was some actor for the panther. And the woman they just spoke to wanted to make a fool of him and Judy. Well! She was going to make a fool of Judy, but not him!

Nick walked through the alleyways to get to his apartment. Kicking a soda can angrily each time his foot got close to the can.

"Stupid bunny…" Nick muttered to himself. "Ignorant…glory seeking…dumb bunny…"

At that last part Nick kicked the can hard with his foot, sending the can flying. Conveniently the can hit the edge of a garbage container, hit a water spout and then knocking into the back of the red fox's head, knocking him to the ground.

"GRRRRR!" Nick said angrily as he got to his feet. "Can this day get ANY WORSE!?"

As if fate answered his question, rain started pouring.

"Okay…" Nick muttered to himself with a sigh. "It can get worse…"

Going towards a wall, Nick sat himself conventionally where the rain could not get him. While sitting, Nick rested his head against the brick wall behind him. For some reason: his thoughts kept going back to what that panther, Kora, told him and Judy.

 _"Would you be willing to do something with your lives?"_

"Ha…not a fox like me." Nick muttered to himself.

A fox couldn't do any good in life. Foxes were cunning, lying and deceitful creatures. Nothing honest could come from them. Everyone knew that.

But Judy did…

"No!" Nick said allowed, covering his ears. "NOPE! Not going there!"

She was a friend.

Nick covered his ears tighter, refusing to think about that bunny.

If she really felt that way about predators…why would she be so adamant in considering helping that lynx guy she did not even know? If she really thought predators were following their nature…why did she say she honestly did not know why the savage outbreaks were occurring?

The fox's teeth grinded together angrily as he huffed in exasperation…Eventually: he lay on his back, looking up at the cloudy and rainy sky.

Nick sighed deeply.

"I hope I don't regret this…"

XXX

 ** _/Progressing time: 6:24-20:15/_**

 ** _XXX_**

It was night in the Canyonlands, one of the quieter parts of Zootopia, though that term was relative. It was, after all, never quiet in a big metropolis such as this one. But the Canyonlands were one of the smaller ecosystems of Zootopia, and it was built in the huge cliff that separated Sahara Square and Tundratown from one another, and greatly resembled the Great Canyon and the Rocky Mountains. It wasn't as hot or as cold as in its neighboring ecosystems. Nor did it have the numerous night clubs of Sahara Square, or the shopping districts of Tundratown.

Many of the apartments of the ecosystem had been built into the wall, and the house of Trevor Pierce was no exception. The lynx had grabbed a drink and sat down in front of his television, watching ZNN News, though the latest events only made him more depressed. Another savage attack, this time by a striped hyena in Sahara Square. With a sigh, he turned off the TV and went back to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

While he did this, the lynx wasn't aware of the fact he was being watched. On a rooftop near his apartment, a female rabbit laid flat on her stomach, watching through Trevor's window with a pair of binoculars. She had been there for the past two hours, watching Trevor's every move. So far, nothing had happened...Sure, the lynx seemed depressed, but that didn't immediately mean that something terrible was going to happen.

She briefly considered the possibility of being tricked by the panther, but she quickly shook that thought off. The panther had seemed sincere…And besides, why would she lie? She had nothing to lose. And neither did Judy, come to think of it. She had already called her parents to say she needed to do something downtown, so they weren't worried.

Thus, the former rabbit officer continued to spy on the apartment. Part of her actually hoped nothing would happen. Judy was a rather selfless individual. She wanted to know more about the Savage Outbreak. She really did. But if that meant putting an innocent mammal in danger…No, she wouldn't allow that.

Suddenly, she caught movement on the street and adjusted her binoculars. The animal in question, which she guessed was some type of canine, wore a green cap with "Feline's Pizza" on it in big, red letters. She recognized the brand, as it was one of the most popular pizza chains in all of Zootopia, and even the entire country. The fact that the delivery mammal had a pizza box in his hand only confirmed it.

The canine stopped in front of the door and clicked on the bell. And as it stepped into the light, Judy suddenly recognized the mammal to be a fox. But not just any fox…For how many foxes wore green Hawaiian shirts with ties that didn't match at all?

"Nick!?" she gasped, while the door opened to reveal Trevor.

XXX

Nick resisted the urge to tap his foot impatiently while he waited for the door to open. Then, the door opened to reveal Trevor Pierce, the lynx something apparently was going to happen too.

"Can I help you?" asked Trevor in a polite, yet tired, tone. He probably assumed Nick had lost his way, and needed some directions.

 _Well, here goes nothing…_ thought Nick, before he shot the lynx his trade-mark smile. "Good evening, sir!" he greeted. "I'm here to deliver your pizza!"

"Pizza?" asked Trevor with a frown. "I didn't order any…Ya sure you got the right house?" he asked.

Nick took a note out of his pocket, where Trevor's address was supposedly written on. "Let's see…Canyonlands, Mountain Avenue, 915…Yeah, this is the right place." He said, faking a frown. "Must have been a mix-up…Guess I made that trip for nothing." He shrugged.

"That's too bad." Nodded Trevor. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, bu-"

"You know what?" interrupted Nick him. "Take the pizza anyway. On the house." He said, holding the box out.

Trevor blinked in surprise and glanced at the fox in front of him. "Are you sure?" he asked. When Nick nodded, the lynx smiled slightly and took the box from him. "Well, I was never the type of animal that would reject a free meal…Thanks!" he said.

"Don't mention it. Just enjoy your pizza." Smiled Nick. As soon as the door closed, the fox sighed in relief. "That ought to do it…" he said, as he grabbed a small device out of his pocket. Unknown to Trevor, there was a small bug hidden in the box that would record everything inside. If something happens, Nick would know.

Nick quickly duck into a nearby alleyway to hide, when he spotted something. It was a rabbit, that tried to hide behind a garbage can in the same alleyway…And he recognized her scent too…To bad for her, foxes just happened to have amazing night vision.

"I know you're there, bunny." Said Nick harshly. "What are you doing here?"

Knowing she had been caught, Judy sighed and came out of her hiding spot. As soon as she had seen Nick, she had left the rooftop. But now that she was here…What now?

"I didn't know you started working as a pizza delivery guy." She said eventually, and Nick snorted disdainfully.

"That's because I don't." he answered. "There's a bug inside the box. If anything happens, I will know it."

"That is quite…clever." Admitted Judy. "How did you get that?"

"I know a guy in Tundratown, a polecat who works for Carrot Inc." Admitted Nick. For a while, it was silent between the two. Then, Judy started broke the silence.

"Nick…I-" she started, but that's when a loud noise came from the device…Only it was so loud even Nick could hear it without needing the device. Something was happening.

XXX

Trevor almost jolted out of his chair when he heard the sound of hard knocking on his apartment door. Unlike the pizza guy, who knocked respectfully on his door, whoever was knocking on his door was practically slamming their fist on the door, almost like someone was punching it and taking their anger off on the inanimate object.

With a nervous swallow, Trevor cautiously stepped forward…a short barreled six shot revolver in his hand that only had three of the six slots loaded. He did not need to look through the peephole in his door to know who his new guest, or guests, were.

Making sure the chain lock on his door was in place, the Lynx cautiously opened the door…coming face to face with a gray wolf, wearing an expensive suit, who looked at Trevor with a smug expression.

"Hey Trev." The wolf said with a toothy grin. "How's it going tonight?"

 _ **XXX**_

 _ **ALERT:**_

 _ **Possibility of Violence: 75%...85%...95%...**_


	3. The Pilot: Part 2

"Hey Trev." The wolf said with a toothy grin. "How's it going tonight?"

"He…hey Alex…" Trevor stuttered. "It's…fine…"

"Mind if my brothers and I come in?" The wolf, Alex, asked (Or more accurately: demanded), while stepping aside, revealing two other wolves behind him…each carrying semi-automatic rifles and wearing anti-ballistic vests under their expensive suits.

Even if Trevor refused, and locked the door…the wolves would still shoot the door to pieces and come in themselves. He really had no other option.

"Sure…" Trevor mumbled, unlocking the door. The wolves pushed themselves in, knocking the former lawyer aside.

Alex's brothers made themselves at home, taking the slices of pizza out of the box and sitting down on Trevor's rugged couch. Alex, on the other hand, simply stood in front of Trevor.

"Made up your mind yet?" The grey wolf asked. "Our boss is getting impatient."

"You don't understand, they fired me!" Trevor said, almost begging. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't throw the case!"

"Good news, pal…" Alex said, stepping closer. "You've been rehired…our boss made sure of that."

Trevor's eyes widened.

"Wha…how?"

"Do you really think that by getting yourself "fired" that you could back out?" Alex said, with a toothy grin. "Your lawyer buddies all trust you, the Matheson couple TRUSTS YOU…And…you're the only predator in that little group…"

Trevor licked his dry lips nervously…noticing Alex's paw reaching for a pistol…he still had his pistol in his pocket, but he knew Alex was former military…The lynx, in truth, never shot a gun before in his entire life. The experiences did not compare.

"Your choice, pal…either you help us…or…" Alex quickly pulled out his gun, pointing it to Trevor's stomach. Suddenly, Trevor's eyes darkened, leaning forward.

"If you think…that by threatening my life…that I will somehow change my mind? How selfish do you think I am? That I would want to have any part in ruining their lives? Their marriage?! The answer I no!" Trevor growled.

"You willing to die with that answer?"

Trevor replied by spitting in Alex's face, who instantly replied by smashing the barrel of the pistol in the lynx's face as he wiped his eye. By now Alex's brothers had their rifles raised.

"We gave you a choice, Trev…" Alex growled. "I don't get it…why someone like you would care about the lives of a couple like them…considering what happened to your wife…But…" Alex aimed his pistol to Trevor's head. "You pro-interspecies types always are an odd bunch."

That's when the door suddenly opened up from a single knock due to the door being cracked open.

"Carrot deliver…OH MY GOSH!"

Everyone's attention suddenly turned to a young female rabbit who just came into the apartment. The young woman was carrying a basket…full of orange carrots, which she had just dropped to the floor in shock, her violet eyes staring in horror at what she was seeing.

"Leave, now, you didn't see anything!" One of the wolves growled, not wanting to cause unnecessary bloodshed. Not because he sympathised with the rabbit, but because they weren't paid for it. Besides, two missing mammals at the same location would be suspicious.

The bunny nodded hesitantly, reaching to pick up her basket…but when each wolf turned their attention to the lynx…Trevor saw the bunny suddenly pull something out of her basket that was NOT a carrot. But an air powered, semi-automatic, elephant tranquilizer pistol.

A muffled shot came from the tranquilizer gun, a dart hitting Alex in the back of the head…instantly he crumbled to the floor, unconscious.

Before the other wolves could ask, the bunny shot two other darts at the remaining wolves, who each fell to the ground.

Trevor looked up at the bunny, who quickly made her way to him.

"Who…what the heck?!" He almost panicked.

"There's no time, come on! We have to leave!" The bunny said, hurriedly, grabbing Trevor's paw and leading him out of the apartment.

When they walked down the steps to the street the two were met with a red fox…who wore a terrible combination featuring a purple tie and a green Hawaiian shirt.

"So much for subtle," The fox muttered.

"Well they were holding him at gun point so there was really no time for subtle." The bunny replied.

Trevor looked at the two in confusion…a bunny and a fox? And who the heck were they? Right as Trevor was about to ask, the bunny's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Judy said after answering the call.

"Miss. Hopps, it's me." The voice of Kora Ebony spoke on the other end. "I take it you helped Mr. Pierce?"

"Yeah," Judy replied. "He was attacked by a bunch of wolves…they wore suits similar to the ones who worked for Lionheart!"

"I know…The wolves that were arrested a year ago were released from prison not long after you returned home, according to the judge's statements: they could serve a small sentence since they did not commit any severe crimes. However: recently it seems they are doing mercenary work."

"Mercenary work?" Judy said, looking at Nick and Trevor. "Then who hired them?"

"As of right now: Who hired them is not important. What matters right now is that you get Mr. Pierce to Savannah Central Park…and I advise you move quickly, wolf reinforcements are on the way."

"Wait…How do you know that?" Judy asked, confused, looking around her…how on earth could she know that?

"That's not important, Miss. Hopps. In less than one minute a car will pull up with three wolves, each heavily armed. I advise you and Mr. Wilde get Mr. Pierce to the exact location I'm sending you on your phone." Sure enough, Judy's phone vibrated after receiving an email. "Hurry, NOW!"

The call ended.

"We need to move!" Judy said to Nick and Trevor.

"I'm not going anywhere until you two tell me what's going on!" Trevor snapped, angrily. "Who ARE YOU?!"

Before either Judy or Nick could answer: the sound of a car's engine could be heard roaring down the street…Followed shortly by sounds of gun fire, bullets hitting the ground near the trio. Sure enough: the car was driven by wolves.

"You want that answer now, before we die, or later!" Nick exclaimed as he quickly raced for the closest alleyway.

"This way!" Judy said, urging Trevor to follow them, which the lynx reluctantly did despite how confused he felt.

As the three raced through the alleyway, the car from before had parked and the passengers immediately got out, proceeding to chase after the three targets.

"Any ideas Carrots?!" Nick said, nervously as the howls of the wolves grew closer.

"Working on it!" Judy replied…thinking desperately of a plan to help get her, Nick and Trevor to the park safely…and in one piece.

XXX

 _ **Threats to Assets: 5**_

 _ **Threat Level: Medium.**_

 _ **Tracking threats to assets.**_

XXX

"They went through here!" One of the wolves growled as he followed the scent of the lynx they were meant to capture or kill. At this moment it was looking like kill, along with his two buddies.

The targets had crossed through various alleyways, eventually going into a small shopping mart at a gas station. His four team mates approached the back door into the shopping mart that the target's entered…

One of the wolves approached the door and pushing it open after it had already been unlocked by their targets. The oldest of the wolves motioned his teammates inside, but to be quiet.

All of the wolves quietly entered the building, moving through the shop owner's vacant office and into the shop itself. The shop was decently sized. With shelves of different food and clothing.

There scents were inside…they could smell it. And they were CLOSE.

When the exact location of their targets were made out, each wolf made a low and threatening growl, almost following their primal ancestors' instincts in hunting.

As each wolf turned the corner to where there targets where, they all rose their weapons to take aim...but they looked on in shock at what they found…

Three wash rags…with bloodstains on them. Blood from each target. Somehow they had outwitted them…

"OUT THERE!" One of the wolves shouted instantly after looking out a window…seeing the rabbit, fox and lynx running off across the street.

As the four wolves rushed towards the front door: The sound of police sirens screamed in the air, followed by three police vehicles coming to a screeching halt stopped the wolves from going outside.

The wolves realized at that moment: Either the rabbit or the fox must have purposefully triggered a silent alarm when they came inside first…And to make it worse: The wolves themselves had been caught on camera…and they had weapons.

An amateur mistake.

Before the wolves could go out the back exit, in an attempt to evade the ZPD…only for two ZPD officers, two large rhinos, come in through the back door while a decently large group of officers were coming through the front doors.

XXX

 _ **Threats to Assets Incarcerated.**_

 _ **Threat Level in Decline.**_

 **XXX**

"Very clever, Nick." Judy whispered to the fox while they sat in the back seat of a taxi cab that was taking the three to the Park.

Nick simply shrugged.

"Not the first time I had to get someone off my tail, Carrots."

"Again…who the heck are you two?" Trevor said as he sat, awkwardly, in between his two mysterious saviors.

"Uhhhh…" Judy began nervously…how to answer.

"Concerned third party." Nick said simply. "Someone told us you were in trouble, we came to help."

"I don't even _know_ you." Trevor snapped.

"As I said: Concerned third party." Nick repeated, not saying anything else as he looked out the window.

Shortly later: the cab stopped at the park that Kora had directed Judy to take the Lynx to.

Following the map of the exact position that they were to take Trevor to, they eventually found themselves near a small bridge that overlooked a pond…a single individual stood on the bridge, looking at the pond bellow.

"Hello, Mr. Pierce." Kora Ebony spoke as she turned to face the lynx being escorted by Judy and Nick.

"Who…who are you?" Trevor asked, his voice holding exhaustion.

"That's not important." Kora held out her paw, holding a paper folder. "Inside this folder is everything you need for your case. Go to the 1st ZPD Precinct and look for a bison, a homicide detective named Jonathan Matters. Give him the folder, and everything will be taken care of."

"Wh…what?" Trevor began as he took the folder into his hands hesitantly. "Why are you all helping me? You don't even KNOW me!"

"I know things are confusing, Mr. Pierce. But you can trust us." Kora said, placing a paw on his shoulder.

Trevor looked into the panther's eyes, from behind her glasses the lynx could see sincerity in them. As a lawyer: that was something he had trained himself to do. To see if the individual he was defending was lying or telling the truth…knowing that he needed to put his faith in these three individuals: he nodded and quickly made his way to the Precinct after a fast, but genuine goodbye.

With the lynx gone, the panther looked over at the fox and bunny, who looked at her with expectation.

"Thank you." Kora said, sincerely. "You not only helped save that man's life…but you also helped ruing a corrupt man's reputation."

"Wait…what?" Judy and Nick both spoke at the same time, confused.

"Mr. Pierce is one of several lawyers who is currently a part of a civil case involving an interspecies couple." Kora said as the three began to walk down a path in the park. "What makes this case special: is that it challenges the newly enacted law called 'Interspecies Marriage Restrictions.' As it suggests: the law bans interspecies marriage, it is an attempt to 'protect' the populace of Zootopia. It was proposed and passed, courtesy of a Senator Orlando Victor. A ram…"

"What made Pierce important? Why target him?" Nick asked.

"Mr. Pierce was the only predator in the group of lawyers who help the Peterson couple, an interspecies couple, one is a predator and the other is a prey, who wish to get married but are being fined. They want to challenge the law...with a team of both prey AND predator lawyers, a sign of unity, this directly challenges the "protections" of the law.

"The wolves were hired by Senator Victor to threaten Mr. Pierce into killing the prey lawyers he is working with on the case. This would in turn give Victor justification into keeping the law in place."

"So…what was in the folder?" Judy asked.

Kora looked at the bunny. "Mr. Victor has ties with a Prey Supremacist gang and directly funds the actions of that gang. Which involves the murder of predator families and even prey families. There is also audio recording of him praising the gang and it's activities.

"Even if that is not enough evidence to have Mr. Victor's position revoked, arrested and his law dead: inside that folder includes evidence that connects him to a murder of an interspecies couple three years ago."

"Wow…" Judy said in amazement. "How did you find all of that?"

"Information is my business, Miss. Hopps." Kora said before looking at her phone. "Speaking of which…I believe we have a schedule to keep." With that: The panther walked off.

Realizing it was close to midnight: Judy, wanting answers, followed the Panther. The bunny paused, looking back at Nick, who stood where he was with his hands in his pockets, showing no interest. However, seeing the bunny look at him, the fox rolled his eye and followed after the panther as she walked.

XXX

 _ **Progressing Time: 22:30-23:45**_

 _ **Tracking Assets…**_

 _ **Location Found.**_

 _ **XXX**_

"So…an abandoned library?" Nick said in disbelief as he saw that their destination was in the middle of Savannah Central, most accurately an abandoned library that looked like it should be remodeled…or torn down.

"You should appreciate libraries, Mr. Wilde. They are filled with knowledge...they help keep track of the greatest stories" The panther said as she and Judy walked towards a door in the back alley of the Library and proceeded to unlock the door…or doors, as the first door was a seemingly unimpressive wooden door and then after that was a metal door with a keypad…which neither Nick nor Judy expected. "And no one would think to break into an old library."

Together, the three entered the seemingly abandoned library. Which Nick and Judy guess was over fifty years old based on the architecture and stone work of the exterior and the design of the interior.

Following the panther, curiously, the bunny and rabbit found themselves climbing up various flights of stairs. Eventually they reached the uppermost level of the library which was locked off by metal gate that had an electronic lock along with an old fashioned chain and lock, which Kora unlocked both.

Together: the three entered the top floor of the library and were greeted by a study which had a wooden table in the middle of the room which had a group of five computer monitors sitting and a computer projector on it.

Walking towards the table, Kora sat down on the chair that was positioned by it. When she sat down, she gave a grateful sigh. Looking at her two guests…there was visible hesitancy in her eyes.

"We are all being watched...by a Machine. It spies on us with one thousand eyes and a million ears...every minute of every day."

The sudden announcement caught both Judy and Nick off guard…completely. At first: both the bunny and red fox thought the panther was joking. Or at least insane…but when they attempted to laugh it off, they saw the expression in Kora Ebony's eyes. She was DEAD serious. Not joking in the slightest as she gave them both an expressionless look.

The two mammals stared at her wide eyes and open jaws.

"W-what?" asked Judy in disbelief. Nick gulped.

"Oh...That could be bad for business..." he muttered, while Judy frowned angrily, both at him and then at the panther.

"B-but that's against the laws of privacy!" she protested.

Kora, seemingly unaffected the former ZPD officer's protest, replied. "It would be," She admitted. "If the government had made it." Turning in her chair, she took a deep breath as she spoke. "I know about The Machine…because I built it."

"YOU!?" exclaimed Judy, floored by the statement while Nick just frowned.

"Why doesn't it surprise me…you somehow knew the lawyer was in trouble, and you sent us to help him...But you haven't told us exactly why you approached us? And why should we trust you?" he asked, suspiciously. His experience in life had taught to be weary of many people. Especially people in fancy suits and dresses. Though he would admit: Kora did not seem like the uptight rich folks…but that still did not mean he trusted her.

"I know this comes as quite a shock…but I assure you both: I am not deceiving you. I am completely sincere." Kora said calmly despite Nick's suspicious attitude.

Judy walks up to the table, looking at the panther's monitors. "So…is this 'Machine' in this Library? Do you have access to it right here, right now?"

"No," Kora answered. "Wherever the Machine is, not even I know." She turned back to her computer, began clicking her mouse on an icon, which pulled up an image of Zootopia's former mayor, Leodore Lionheart, who was arrested for holding the original fourteen savage predators locked up in Cliffside Asylym. "Back when Mr. Lionheart was mayor: I proposed my invention to him, and he agreed to give me access to the ZPD feeds, which would give The Machine access to ALL security and traffic cameras in the city along with any device connected to a Wireless network."

"So, how does the Machine tell you when someone's in trouble?" Judy asked.

"By using the ZPD feeds: The Machine observes mammals all across the city. It is able to listen in on phone calls, read emails and observe an individual's stress levels. It can even review seemingly old and forgotten emails and expunged records. If The Machine sees any indication that the individual, or individuals, intends to bring lethal harm to someone else, or if that mammal is going to be a victim, The Machine gives me a string of numbers. Nine digits."

"You mean like a social security number?" Nick said.

"Correct," Kora nodded.

"That's it? It does not give you anything else?" Judy asked, curiously.

"No. Just the number." Kora answered. "If I were to be given anything more, then I run risk of detection by the government…while The Lionheart Administration willingly installed The Machine in secret, the Bellwether administration does not know The Machine is installed…if they knew, then they would try and remove it from the ZPD feeds."

"Why are you so interested in doing this?" Nick asked, suspiciously. Still not buying that a rich woman like her would be doing this from the bottom of her heart. "You apparently have other stuff you could be doing."

"If I was like the other wealthy businessmen who used their money and power only to increase their private wealth and influence, I would not be doing this, I assure you Mr. Wilde." Kora answered calmly, albeit coldly. "Unlike many of the businessmen you have encountered in your 'business', Mr. Wilde, I actually care about what happens in the real world, not just in my inner circle…experience can be a…" Kora paused, as she rolled up her right pant leg, revealing severe bite marks in her leg, which appeared to dig deeply into the bone of her leg. Judy gasped upon the sight of the panther's wounded leg. "A scarring experience…"

"Did the savages do this?" Judy asked, Nick rolled his eyes in disgust.

"You could say that…" Kora replied, thoughtfully. "The experience, needless to say, opened my eyes…"

Gesturing towards a wooden board hung on a far wall: Nick and Judy saw Trevor Pierce's photo and information on it...

"I am unable to save people like Mr. Pierce, not alone…that is why I brought you both here." Kora said, standing in front of the board, taking down Trevor's photo. "Yes, The Machine may give us random Social Security Numbers, for people who may not be involved in the Savage cases…but it is clear to me that the Savage attacks are not random…" she glances back at them. "They seem to…convenient. To planned. How these attacks keep happening, I do not know, but something is happening that is turning Predators savage. And it is not our DNA.

"I am giving you both a choice…to help me get to the bottom of this. To help discover WHY this is happening, and eventually how we can stop it before more innocents are hurt and the population turns against itself."

There was a pause, Nick stood with his arms crossed, unconvinced. Not that he did not believe the panther, she gave a reasonable argument. Though the idea sounded laughable, so far she had given no reason that she was pulling a prank…who would set up a secret base in the attic of a Library unless they really wanted to be off the grid.

But still: Nick had been dragged into a crusade before…there was no way he would be drawn into one again. Surely Judy was smart enough…

"I will help!" Judy said, stepping forward to Kora. "If it means putting an end to these attacks…I'm willing to do what it takes!"

"Wait! You're serious?!" Nick said, in disbelief. "You know what this means, right!? Even if she's telling the truth, and you help her do vigilante stuff, you will be going against the law! Wasn't it your dream to become a police officer?!"

"It was, and is, Nick!" Judy said, turning back to face her former friend. "But the ZPD hasn't been able to curve these attacks…They have only gotten WORSE. And…" Judy paused, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "It's my fault that the city is tearing itself apart!" She points to the wooden board that Kora had set up. "Every time I turn on the news…read a newspaper and I find out about another attack…and how the Predators are suffering for something they haven't even done, it tears at my heart…Knowing that I was the one who tore Zootopia apart!"

There was a long pause…Judy tried to get control of her emotions…when she did, she looked back at Kora.

"If it means…that I have to resort to Vigilantism to repair the damage I've caused…if that means I can save more people, then I am willing to do it! I'm willing to do anything to make sure no other innocent predator pays for my mistakes!"

Another long pause followed, this time waiting for Nick to reply. Who stood where he was, looking at the panther and bunny with disbelief.

"Are you serious?!" Nick scoffed to Judy. "You want to go on another crusade?! Is that it? You want to get yourself killed? All because some…rich woman with a super computer tells you can change something?!" Nick let out a humorous laugh. "If you want to become some kind of…Vigilante hero, fine. Go ahead, dress up in a suit, shoot people in kneecaps and run from the police and eventually get yourself caught for all I care! I want no part of this…" Nick paused and turned around, with what he said next he almost biting his tongue, but it was too late when the words came out. "And most importantly: I want nothing to do with YOU!"

Judy felt like a knife had just pierced her heart with what Nick had said. Her ears dropped back, her eyes wide and watering…guilt filling her heart.

"Thanks for clearing my debt Ms. Kora," Nick said to the panther. "But this is where I make my exit."

"As you wish." Kora said respectfully. "But do take caution: If you get in trouble with any gang leader…I will not clear your debt again."

Nick simply shrugged before walking out of the attic. As the red fox shut the door behind him, Kora went to her table, looking at her computer monitor, shutting it down for the evening. But all the while: Judy looked in the direction of where Nick walked off to…for a few moments she was silent…rolling Nick's words in her mind over and over again.

They hurt…she heard them. Nick wanted nothing to do with her. He did not need her, and she knew it.

But she needed him…she could not do this without him…

Without a word: the bunny quickly raced out of the attic, racing after Nick.

XXX

 _ **/Heavy Rain Showers in progress/**_

 _ **/Tracking Subject, Nicholas "Nick" Wilde and Asset Judy Hopps/**_

XXX

Nick walked out of the library, going out onto the streets.

Rain was pouring heavy and relentlessly, almost like he was in the Rain Forest district. Nick was almost drenched by the heavy rain.

All he wanted was to get to his apartment, go to bed…and forget about the entire day.

"NICK!"

Of course…

XXX

"NICK!" screamed Judy, as she ran after her former vulpine friend. She ignored the rain, as there was only one thing on her mind right now. And that was apalogizing to Nick.

For a moment, she was afraid that Nick would simply ignore her and keep on walking. But she sighed in relief when that wasn't the case, and he stopped walking. The fox turned around, and she had gulped at the expression on his face. It wasn't sad, annoyed or even furious. It was instead cold and uncaring, like nothing she would say would convince him otherwise.

"What, bunny?" he asked coldly.

Judy took a deep breath. Maybe she did indeed waste her time, and nothing would change between her and Nick. But still…Even if he didn't change his mind, she wanted the fox to know how she felt.

"I...I…" the rabbit started, but then calmed herself. This would be her last chanche to make things right, and she wouldn't screw it up.

"Nick, I know you must be furious with me, and hurt…You must hate me immensely, and. And I don't blame you if you don't want to forgive me, because I wouldn't forgive myself either." She admitted. Judy didn't notice, but Nick's ears perked up as a sign of interest. His facial expression remained as neutral as can be.

"I fully admit that this is my mistake, and that I caused this mess. I was ignorant...Small-minded and irresponsible…But the predators shouldn't suffer from my mistakes. I have to fix this…But I can't do it without you…" she said, and her voice started cracking.

"And then…And then you can walk and hate me, and you never have to see me again! A-and that would be fine! Because I was a horrible friend and animal, and I hurt you. And…And…You were right. All along! I really am nothing more then just a dumb bunny!"

And then, Judy's resolve ended and she burt into tears, her ears hanging low. There. She had said it. Judy had told Nick she had wanted to say for so long. But the fox had kept quiet throughout her speech, and he hadn't said anything.

"Nick, say something! Insult me, shout at me, curse me! But please, say something!" sobbed Judy.

And then, the words came…Although it wasn't Nick that said them.

"I really am nothing more then just a dumb bunny!"

Judy looked up in surprise, as the same messenge was repeated again. "I really am nothing more then just a dumb bunny!"

Slowly, the fox turned around with his trade-mark smirk that she had grown to love. And in his right paw, he held the carrot pen that she had used to blackmail him. "Don't worry Carrots. I'll let you erase it…In 48 hours." He said.

Judy smiled widely, wiping away a tear, while the fox opened his arms. "Now, come here." He said. Without a second thought, Judy ran up to Nick and hugged the predator tightly. "There you go deep breath…Aw, you bunnies, so emotional!" he coed.

He then noticed that Judy was trying to grab the pen, and he quickly held it out of her reach. "What, are you trying to steal my pen? Is that why you're hugging me?" he asked teasingly.

Judy's laughter confirmed it, while she tried grasping for the pen. But the moment was ruined when she accidently stepped on his tail, and Nick winced in pain. "You are standing on my tail, by the way. Of, of, of, of!" he said, and Judy quickly moved away from him with a gasp.

"I'm sorry!" she apologised immidiatly, while Nick quickly straightened his tail. It was a little known fact, but foxes were extremely proud of their bushy tails. And Nick was no exception to that rule.

"Its okay, Carrots…Now, let's go back to the Library, shall we? I'm sure that old panther wants to know that her employee is getting help." Grinned he fox. Judy smiled and nodded.

And with that, the two reconciled friends walked alongside one another to the Library, unaware that they were being watched through a traffic camera by someone (or rather, something) who was very pleased…

 _ **XXX**_

 _ **/Assets Active:**_

 _ **Judy Hopps=ZPD Officer (Inactive)**_

 _ **Nicholas "Nick" Wilde =Con-artist (Former)/**_

 _ **/Marking Individuals as Primary Assets, assigned to "Irrelevant" Operations./**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Progressing Time: 23:55-08:37...**_

 _ **Tracking Assets: Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde...**_

 _ **Location Found: Savannah Central "Star Buck Coffee Shop."**_

 _ **XXX**_

For the first time in a year...Judy sincerely felt at peace. Like a part of the weight and guilt that had been riding on her shoulders had been lifted from her.

She and Nick were friends again...somehow the red fox had forgiven her for what she had done. For the ignorance she displayed a year ago. She didn't deserve his forgiveness, yet he gave it to her. And now: she felt like she could do _anything._

But now: it was time to get to work.

Standing outside of the Star Buck coffee shop in the busiest part of Savannah Central: Judy waited as her fox companion came out, carrying two cups of coffee. After handing a cup to his friend, Nick and Judy proceeded to walk down the crowded street together.

Nick noticed Judy wasn't wearing her lavender shirt from yesterday. Instead wearing a blue T-Shirt and a brown vest over it.

"Kinda liked the shirt you were wearing, Carrots." Nick said, taking a sip from his coffee. "Fits with your eyes."

"Well it didn't work out for last night's venture." Judy replied, with a smile. "At least now I feel prepared, and look somewhat professional for the job."

"Clothes make the person I guess," Nick responded, adjusting his tie. Judy laughed while playfully swatting him, Nick chuckled back.

Suddenly, as expected, Judy's phone rang. Taking the phone out of her pocket, she saw the Caller ID listed as "Unknown." Knowing who it was, Judy answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"Good morning Miss. Hopps, Mr. Wilde." Kora's voice came from the other end. "We have a new number."

"Alright, let's get to work." Nick said, taking one last sip from his coffee. "So who are we saving, or stopping?"

"Sending the information through your email, Miss. Hopps." Kora said, sure enough Judy's phone buzzed, receiving an email. "If there is anything you two need: Call me through this number. I will dig up more information on our number."

"Alright, we'll get to work...and Kora..." Judy said, pausing for a moment before smiling. "Thank you."

There was a pause, but Kora responded. "You are welcome, Miss. Hopps." With that, the call disconnected.

After reviewing the contents of the email, learning about their newest Mammal of Interest, a marten, the two friends quickly made their way towards the car that Kora had provided for them.

Before they both stepped inside, however, both the fox and bunny looked up at a traffic camera which had a blinking red light, that was watching them...

Looking at one another, the bunny and fox nodded as they stepped inside the car, started the ignition and drove to the address of the newest number.

Ready to intervene regardless if he was a Victim or a Perpetrator.

 **XXX**

 **/Mammal of Interest Operations Activated.../**


End file.
